Posts on Facebook lead to return of vintage guitar and amp

A vintage guitar and amplifier stolen in Asbury Park from long-time area musician Ken Sorensen was recovered today in Ocean Township as a result of word being spread on Facebook.

Sorensen was at Asbury Park Police headquarters providing the serial numbers for the stolen 1958 Gretsch guitar and Ampeg amplifier when the Ocean Township police called to say they located the equipment.

It had been turned over to Ocean Township police by George Scandalis, the owner of Swap for Cash, 2112 Route 35 south. Earlier today, Sorensen picked up the equipment from the Ocean police [in photos right and below with recovered guitar outside police headquarters].

Scandalis had heard about the theft through musician friends who saw it on Facebook, he said. Shortly after the first person told him about the theft, he read about it himself on the social media site, Scandalis said.

The stolen guitar and amplifier matched the description of equipment he had just purchased from someone purporting to be a good-faith seller, he said.

Scandalis notified Ocean Township police in order to return the guitar and amplifier.

“What else would you do? You’ve got to step up,” said Scandalis. “There’s only so many Asbury Park musicians. They all need their instruments.”

Scandalis also was in the music business, owning Red Bank Vintage Guitars “back in the day,” he said.

The theft occurred sometime between Thursday night and late Friday afternoon, Sorensen said. His van was also stolen, which contained the guitar and amplifier, as well as harmonicas and other equipment. The vehicle and the other items have not been recovered.

Sorensen is just relieved he got the guitar and amplifier back.

“That’s the only stuff I was really attached to,” he said. “Everything else can be replaced.”

After the thefts, Sorensen still had several appearances scheduled for the weekend. Russo Music on Lake Avenue in Asbury Park lent him all the equipment he needed free of charge, he said.

“They were super helpful,” Sorensen said, as was a member of the band Killing Joke who lent him a hard to replace harmonica microphone.

Sorensen said that he recently moved to Bangs Avenue in Asbury Park, and he parks on Summerfield Avenue because it’s free. That’s where the van was parked when it was stolen.

Simeon Cain, the drummer in Sorensen’s band Stringbean and the Stalkers, posted a notice on Facebook for people to be on the look out for the stolen goods. The Asbury Overheard website picked up on Cain’s post and ran a story Sunday night on the theft.

The Asburyoverheard.com story was then posted on its own Facebook page, as well as the Facebook pages of the Asbury Park Sun website, the Asbury Anchor website and the triCityNews newspaper. [All the websites involved are produced by the triCityNews.]

The story of Sorensen’s stolen equipment — and the plea for everyone to be on the lookout for it — went viral. There were over 1400 Facebook shares of the Asbury Overheard story, and close to 900 shares of Cain’s post.

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This is an updated version of the story. A previous version erroneously reported George Scandalis as the owner of “Buy for Cash.” The correct name of the store is “Swap for Cash.”